1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to an ink reservoir for ink printer means that can be coupled via a connecting region to the ink supply system of the ink printer means.
2. Description of the Related Art
In ink printer means, a print head moving along a recording medium is generally supplied with writing fluid from a supply bottle by an ink supply system. The printing head can be composed of a mosaic printing head in which a plurality of printing nozzles are arranged. Due to the contraction events occurring in these printing nozzles during writing mode, such a printing head automatically supplies itself with writing fluid from an ink reservoir. Such ink reservoirs are generally interchangeably fashioned (German AS 26 10 518).
Ink reservoirs for ink printer means are generally fashioned as one-way containers that are filled with ink in the factory and that dare not be re-employed after the ink supply has been used. A refilling of the ink reservoirs is not provided because this refilling harbors the risk that air will penetrate into the ink reservoir. Air bubbles contained in the ink lead to malfunctions of the printing operations, particularly when the ink printing equipment operates based on the under-pressure principle, a principle wherein the ink supply system has a slight under-pressure in comparison to the actual printing nozzle.
Whether bubble jet printing equipment or printing equipment operating according to the piezo-electric principle, ink printer equipment require ink fluid adapted thereto in terms of their composition. If used ink reservoirs are then again filled with ink of an unknown composition by outside manufacturers, then this can lead to malfunctions in the ink printing means. Such an uncontrolled refilling of used ink reservoirs must therefore be prevented.
U.S. Application No. 3,704,813 discloses a container for butane or liquefied gas that comprises a means that prevents a refilling of the container via the valve for safety reasons. To this end, a resilient mount for a closure element in the form of a ball is provided. After the actual filling event, the closing ball is separated from the mount and is irreversibly thrust in front of the filling opening of the container to be filled.
DE-A-34 22 504 also discloses a replaceable ink supply container of the species initially cited that comprises a contact element in the floor region that interacts with an elastic wall of the ink supply container.